Grierson Trust appoints National Geographic exec Tom McDonald as new chair

UK documentary and factual filmmaking charity The Grierson Trust has appointed National Geographic exec Tom McDonald as its new chair.

Tom McDonald

McDonald, who is exec VP of content at Disney-owned Nat Geo, will take up the role in November, when Lorraine Heggessey steps down after 11 years. The trust has been searching for her replacement since June.

McDonald will work closely with the board and MD Sylvia Bednarz to guide the trust’s strategic direction, champion fundraising efforts and strengthen industry engagement. He will act as an ambassador for the organisation and help sustain its place as a cornerstone of the UK’s documentary filmmaking community.

Alongside steering the British Documentary Awards – also known as the Griersons – McDonald will work alongside Bednarz to oversee the suite of Grierson DocLab training programmes run in partnership with broadcasters, streamers and indies, helping to sustain and diversify the documentary workforce in the UK.

At Nat Geo, McDonald oversees television, streaming, editorial, digital and social across all platforms, including Disney+ and Hulu, leading global content teams in Washington DC, New York, Los Angeles and London. He joined in 2023.

Before Nat Geo, McDonald spent a decade at the BBC in senior commissioning and production roles, including as head of specialist factual for BBC Commissioning and as MD of factual for BBC Studios. He also has also previously worked as a producer, series producer and executive producer for UK indies including Wall to Wall and The Garden.

McDonald said: “It is a huge honour to be named chair of the Grierson Trust. At a time of enormous disruption and uncertainty in the world of documentary, the trust’s mission is more important than ever.

“I’ve long admired the trust’s high impact work to nurture new voices in documentary filmmaking and to amplify the very best of global documentary filmmaking, and I can’t wait to work with Sylvia and the board to build on the trust’s incredible work during Lorraine’s tenure.”

Bednarz said: “Tom has always been a fierce advocate for documentaries and a passionate supporter of the global filmmaking community. As a former Grierson trustee and a long-standing champion of our mission, he understands the heart of what we do.

“The board and team alike feel Tom is perfectly placed to lead us into an exciting new chapter for the Grierson Trust. We would also like to thank Lorraine for her exceptional leadership over the last 11 years, culminating at this year’s Grierson Awards ceremony.”